Pool or tank cleaning vehicle with a powered brush

ABSTRACT

A pool cleaning vehicle is described comprising a body mounted on wheels such that it can roll over a surface. The body carries a water inlet port and a water outlet port with the inlet port being located on the bottom of the body. It also has a filter mechanism interposed between the inlet and outlet ports. An electric motor mounted is on the body between the two sides of the body with a shaft extending out of it with a propeller mounted on the shaft. The motor is mounted such that the propeller expels water out of the outlet port. A roller brush extends between the same two sides of the body generally transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle and the roller brush is rotated by the electric motor via a linkage.

BACKGROUND

There are robotic cleaning vehicles which traverse the bottom ofswimming pools and other large liquid containers submerged in thecontained liquid, drawing in liquid from ports in their bottoms, passingthis liquid through filters in the body of the vehicle and expelling thefiltered liquid back into the large container, typically a swimmingpool. These vehicles typically travel on wheels which suspend the bodyof the vehicle above the bottom of the container.

SUMMARY

A pool cleaning vehicle is provided comprising a body mounted on wheelssuch that it can roll over a surface. The body carries a water inletport and a water outlet port with the inlet port being located on thebottom of the body. It also has a filter mechanism interposed betweenthe inlet and outlet ports. An electric motor mounted is on the bodybetween the two sides of the body with a shaft extending out of it witha propeller mounted on the shaft. The motor is mounted such that thepropeller expels water out of the outlet port. A roller brush extendsbetween the same two sides of the body generally transverse to thedirection of travel of the vehicle and the roller brush is rotated bythe electric motor via a linkage.

In another embodiment, a pool cleaning vehicle includes a body mountedon wheels such that it can roll over a surface. The body includes waterinlets and outlet ports. The inlet ports are located on the bottom ofthe body, and the outlet ports direct water flow in two opposingdirections. A filter mechanism is interposed between the inlet andoutlet ports. An electric motor is mounted on the body between the twosides of the body operatively rotating a propeller. The motor is mountedsuch that the propeller expels water out of one of the outlet ports. Aroller brush extends between the same two sides of the body generallytransverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle. The roller brushis rotated by the electric motor via a linkage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the interior drive train elements of thepowered roller brush of a cleaning vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partial cut away of a cleaning vehiclewith an extended telescoping handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown one embodiment of a cleaning vehicle10 with a powered roller brush 20. It is suspended on front wheels 30and back wheels 40 at a height such that the scrapping members 29 of itspowered roller brush 20 contact the surface on which the wheels 30 and40 travel. In one embodiment, then distal ends of members 29 just makecontact with the surface on which the wheels 30 and 40 travel, tominimize the load on the motor as will be discussed below.

In one embodiment the vehicle may be placed in and removed from its useenvironment by a telescoping handle 50. Its internal electric motor 80(shown in FIG. 3) receives power from power cord 60 which connects to aremote power source. The vehicle is propelled by the expulsion of theliquid from one of its outlet ports 70. The vehicle 10 functions toclean the surfaces of a large liquid reservoir, such as a swimming pool,which are covered by the liquid stored in the reservoir. The vehicle 10is submerged in the stored liquid and is then propelled by taking inliquid through its inlet ports 72 visible in FIG. 2 and expelling it outone of its outlet ports 70 visible in FIGS. 1 and 4. The water movementis effected by electric motor 80 visible in FIG. 3 turning itspropellers 82 and 84. The direction in which the vehicle 10 is propelledis determined by the direction of rotation of the electric motor 80which is in turn controlled by signals received from the power supplyvia floating cable 60. The propellers 82 and 84 are driven by the motor80 to expel liquid out of either the outlet port 70 above the frontwheels 30 (visible in FIG. 1) or the outlet port 70 (visible in FIG. 4)above the back wheels 40. In accordance with the well known physicsconcept of action and reaction the vehicle 10 will be propelled in adirection opposite to that in which the liquid is expelled.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the electric motor 80 is also used to powerthe roller brush 20. The electric motor 80 is equipped with a gear box86 which translates the rotation of the electric motor 80 by 90° or someother angle and also reduces the number of rotations in some fixed ratiosuch as 1:30 or any other ratio. A common way to effect these changes iswith a combination of a combination of a worm gear with a spur gear.However other types of mechanical connection may be used. The gear boxhas a takeoff spindle 88 which carries a pulley 89 which transmits forceto a gear train or drive belt system 21. The drive belt 21 in turntransmits this force to a pulley 22 on a drive transfer shaft 23. Thisdrive transfer shaft 23 is supported by an elongated bushing 24. Thisdrive transfer shaft 23 carries another pulley 25 at its other end whichtransmits force to a second drive belt 26. This drive belt 26 is loopedover a fourth pulley 27 which is free to rotate. This drive belt 26frictionally engages the axle 28 of the roller brush 20. Thisfacilitates slippage between the roller brush 20 and ultimately theelectric motor 80, should the roller brush encounter some type ofobstacle like a large piece of debris on the surface being cleaned. Thisavoids the vehicle 10 becoming stalled by such obstacles and allows thevehicle 10 to pass over them. Where a gear train is used in place of adrive belts, a clutch may be positioned between the motor and the rollerbrush 20. The clutch will allow the motor continue to rotate thepropellers if the roller brush is obstructed from rotating by debriswithin the pool.

The roller brush 20 and the front wheels 30 are both mounted to thevehicle 10 via suspension brackets 34. This arrangement allows the frontwheels 30 to be mounted without a transverse axle, thereby facilitatingthe mounting of the roller brush 20 between the front wheels 30. Amongother advantages this positions the roller brush 20 to aid the vehiclein climbing the side walls of the reservoir being cleaned. The suctioncreated through the inlet ports 72 by the action of the propellers 82and 84 tends to hold the vehicle to non-horizontal and even verticalside walls so long as these side walls are submerged in liquid. Theexpulsion of liquid from an outlet port 70 will propel the vehicle upthe side wall but the roller brush 20 aids in this climbing operation.

Referring to FIG. 4, a telescoping handle 50 makes it easier to placethe vehicle 20 into and withdraw it from the reservoir in which it is tooperate. The handle comprises two side arms 52 and a cross arm 54, whichcan be readily grasped. The side arms 52 are accommodated in receivershafts 56 which have ends 58. The shafts 56 are long enough that thehandle 50 may be fully retracted so that it is flush with the vehicle ascan be seen in FIG. 1. The side arms 52 and the shafts 56 interact suchthat the handle 50 can support the free air weight of the vehicle 10.This is accomplished by providing one or the other or both with lockingmechanisms to limit the travel of the side arms 52 out of the shafts 56.

Referring to FIG. 4, the design of the vehicle with longitudinal filters90 readily accommodates the shafts 56. The vehicle 10 serves itscleaning function by drawing fluid containing dirt and debris into itsinlet ports 72 and subjecting this fluid to a filtering action beforeexpelling it out of its outlet ports 70. The positioning of the electricmotor 80 and its propellers 82 and 84 longitudinally above thecenterline of the vehicle allows the placement of the filters 90parallel to this centerline and in one embodiment filters 90 are angledto accommodate the shafts 56.

The outlet ports 70 are angled a bit upward from horizontal. Thisprovides a downward force on the vehicle which aids in the vehicleclimbing the side walls of the reservoir being cleaned.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pool cleaning vehicle comprising: a bodymounted on wheels such that it can roll over a surface, the bodycarrying a water inlet port and a water outlet port with the inlet portbeing located on the bottom of the body and a filter mechanisminterposed between the inlet and outlet port; an electric motor mountedon the body between the two sides of the body with a shaft extendingfrom the motor with a propeller mounted on the shaft, the motor mountedsuch that the propeller expels water out of the outlet port; a rollerbrush extending between the same two sides of the body generallytransverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the roller brushbeing rotated by the electric motor via a linkage.
 2. A pool cleaningvehicle comprising: a body mounted on wheels such that it can roll overa surface, the body carrying water inlet and outlet ports, with theinlet ports being located on the bottom of the body, the outlet portsdirecting water flow in two opposing directions and a filter mechanisminterposed between the inlet and outlet ports; an electric motor mountedon the body between the two sides of the body operatively rotating apropeller, the motor mounted such that the propeller expels water out ofone of the outlet ports; a roller brush extending between the same twosides of the body generally transverse to the direction of travel of thevehicle, the roller brush being rotated by the electric motor via alinkage.
 3. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 1, wherein the rotationof the wheels is independent of the rotation of the roller brush.
 4. Thepool cleaning vehicle of claim 1, wherein the roller brush is driven bythe motor which does not drive the wheels.
 5. The pool cleaning vehicleof claim 1, wherein the roller brush comprises a cylindrical shaftcarrying a plurality of scrapping members and being rotationally affixedto the body such that these scrapping members contact the surface overwhich the vehicle rolls on its wheels.
 6. The pool cleaning vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein a roller brush is provided proximate each end of thevehicle, the roller brushes being is transverse to the direction oftravel of the vehicle and extending between the two sides of the bodywhich are parallel to the direction of travel.
 7. The pool cleaningvehicle of claim 6, wherein only one roller brush is driven at a time.8. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 6, wherein both roller brushes aredriven to rotate in a common direction.
 9. The pool cleaning vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the linkage between the electric motor and the rollerbrush is a gear train with a clutch or one or more drive belts arrangedsuch that, if the rotation of the roller brush is inhibited, slippageoccurs which allows the motor to continue rotating.
 10. The poolcleaning vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wheels are mounted to the bodyvia axles proximate to either end of the body in the direction of traveland the motor is mounted along the midline of the body in the directionof travel approximately half way between and just above the axles. 11.The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 1, wherein the filter mechanismextends in a generally vertical direction.
 12. The pool cleaning vehicleof claim 11, wherein a filter assembly is provided on either side of themotor.
 13. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 11, wherein a hollow shaftis provided on each of the sides of the vehicle parallel to thedirection of travel and two side arms of a telescoping handle areslidably contained in the two shafts, are joined at their ends whichproject out of the shafts by a crosspiece and either carry a lockingmechanism which interacts with these shafts or interact with a mechanismmounted one or both of these shafts to prevent the side arms from fullywithdrawing from these shafts.
 14. A pool cleaning vehicle with a rollerbrush comprising: a body mounted on wheels such that it can roll over asurface, the body carrying water inlet and outlet ports with the inletports being located on the bottom of the body and the outlet portsdirecting water flow in one of two opposite directions; an electricmotor mounted on the body about midway between and parallel to two sidesof the body parallel to the direction of travel with a first shaftextending out of either end with a propeller mounted on either end ofthis shaft, the motor mounted such that the propellers expel water outof one or the other of the outlet ports depending on the direction ofrotation of the shaft; a gear box mounted on the first shaft between apropeller and the electric motor, the gear box translating the rotationof the shaft by some angle; a first pulley attached to a second shaftwhich extends from the gear box and rotates in the directions that wateris expelled from the outlet ports; a system of pulleys and drive beltswhich transmits the rotation of this first pulley to the roller brushsuch that this second shaft can continue to rotate when the rotation ofthe roller brush is obstructed; this roller brush extends between thesame two sides of the body generally transverse to the direction oftravel, carryies a plurality of scrapping members and is rotationallyaffixed at its ends to the body such that these scrapping memberscontact the surface over which the vehicle rolls on its wheels.
 15. Thepool cleaning vehicle of claim 14 wherein a first belt connects thisfirst pulley to a second pulley mounted on the end of a third shaftwhich is perpendicular to the directions in which water is expelled fromthe outlet ports and the second pulley is midway between the same twosides of the body; the third shaft extends to one of these sides, isrotationally affixed to the body and carries a third pulley; a secondbelt connects this third pulley to a fourth pulley mounted on the end ofa fourth shaft such that this second belt drives the rotation of theroller brush.
 16. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 14 wherein theroller brush is mounted adjacent to one of the end of the body such thatas the vehicle moves over the surface on its wheels, it is at theleading or trailing edge of the vehicle.
 17. The pool cleaning vehicleof claim 14 wherein the fourth shaft is not attached to the rollerbrush; the roller brush has an axle on which it rotates which protrudeslongitudinally out of each end of its body; and the second beltinteracts frictionally with a protruding end of this axle to driverotation of the roller brush.
 18. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 14wherein the body carries two inlet ports on its bottom with each portbeing on the opposite side of the midline of the body parallel toelectric motor from the other; a filter which is parallel to thismidline is interposed between each inlet port and the outlet ports; ahollow shaft between each filter and a side of the body which isparallel to this midline; and two side arms of a telescoping handlewhich are slidably contained in the two shafts and which are joined attheir ends which project out of the shafts by a crosspiece and carry alocking mechanism which interacts with these shafts or a mechanismmounted on these shafts to prevent the side arms from fully withdrawingfrom these shafts.
 19. The pool cleaning vehicle of claim 18 wherein thelocking mechanisms of the shafts is adequate to jointly support theweight of the vehicle in open air such that the vehicle can be suspendedin open air by the crosspiece of the telescoping handle.
 20. The poolcleaning vehicle of claim 18 wherein the telescoping handle projects outof the same end of the vehicle as carries the roller brush.
 21. The poolcleaning vehicle of claim 14 wherein two of the wheels on which thevehicle rolls are each mounted on an opposite side of the vehicle fromthe other such that the roller brush lies between them with its longaxis running between these two opposite sides.
 22. The pool cleaningvehicle of claim 14 wherein each wheel and the end of the roller brushadjacent to that wheel are rotationally affixed to a common bracketwhich is in turn affixed to the body of the vehicle.